January 7, 2025

Hot To Go (Medieval) for 2025

New York, New York says it'll be a "medieval" 2025

Modern Medieval

by David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele

Happy 2025!

We were away (together) this past weekend at the annual meeting of the American Historical Association. While there, we got to meet up with a lot of friends, make some new ones and even sign a bunch of books! (If you want a signed book, here’s how to get one…at least for the next couple weeks)

Anyway, we were at the conference because we helped put together a panel of scholars, talking about how to write “narrative history” - how to tell better stories about the past. This mode of writing isn’t actually all that natural, and is sometimes frowned upon by academics, but narrative is itself (a form of) analysis AND it’s a way of pulling people in. We tell good stories to get people interested and help them understand the stakes. This is what we’re trying to do, both with The Bright Ages and with Oathbreakers. And we’re not alone! Our panel was stacked with exceptional colleagues - Tanisha C. Ford, Megan Kate Nelson, Ada Palmer, and Chad L. Williams.

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While there, we picked up a local paper (The New York Times) and were pleasantly surprised to see that the first prediction of trends to watch out for in 2025 is “Minds Drift to Medieval Times.”

We, of course, heartily agree!

The “medieval” has always been a rich source of inspiration (both positive and fun as well as, uh, otherwise) but there does seem to be a groundswell of interest in the period nowadays. Most likely the reporter wasn’t thinking of the 2025 Centennial of the Medieval Academy of America, but we can’t deny that there are great books out there, tv shows on the horizon, and pop culture galore. In all these evocations, just remember that to invoke the “medieval” is about both wonder and horror. This was a messy, very human time but one that’s ultimately knowable. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

We’ll do our little bit to cover it for you, so make sure to subscribe and stay tuned.

P.S. — Read more here for one example, specifically on Chappell Roan and her “camp medievalism.”

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